Aldrich Ames An American Spy

1
Aldrich Ames An American Spy

• Sell Out Aldrich Ames and the corruption of the
  CIA James Adams
• Betrayal The Story of Aldrich Ames, An American
  Spy Timrejuvenatedvid Johnston Neil Lewis

2
Outline

• Aldrich Ames family history
• The college years
• First failed mission Turkey
• SE (Soviet, East European) Division at
  headquarters in Langley
• Seeds of Destruction The beginning of Ames
  interaction with the Russians
• CIA mission to Mexico (Another failed experience
  as a recruiter of spies)
• Beginning of a spies career sold secrets for
  50,000 cash
• Rick Ames living as a traitor
• CIA Organo-sclerosis

3
Aldrich Ames Family History

• Carleton Ames, Ricks father teacher of
  sociology history of Europe and the Far East at
  River Falls Teacher College in Wisconsin
• Carleton Ames - recruited by the CIA for his
  expertise on East Asia in 1952 (age 47)
• CIAs Project Paper(top priority) - produce an
  invasion of Communist China by Nationalist forces
  based in Burma
• Carleton his family arrived in Rangoon, Burma
  in December 1953.
• CIA arranged for a Fulbright Fellowship, common
  cover for CIA officers at the time, allowed them
  to travel around the country doing academic
  research
• Goal acquire political intelligence on the
  country and the different political and military
  groups and influences
• Carleton rated as a poor performer, and known
  alcoholic
• Pattern of tolerance in the agency of
  incompetence and substance abuse
• 1957, Virginia Ricks summer internship at CIA
  record analyst

4
Aldrich Ames - College Years

• Univ. of Chicago in 1959 1961 general
  coursework
• First major history
• Real passion acting
• Joined the student musical/comedy group
• Became Assistant Technical Director at the Univ.
• Ambitions to become an actor were dashed in
  Chicago, had no degree returned to Washington
• 1962- applied for a position at the Agency
• June 1962 offered a job as a clerk- typist for
  the CIA

5
CIA Mission - Turkey

• Moved to Ankara, Turkey in the Operations
  Directorate promotion (1969)
• Turkey borders with the Soviet Union prime spot
  for recruiting agents for the US from local
  assortment of Soviet embassy, trade and press
  employees
• 1st year - strong performer
• 2nd year proficient performer
• 3rd and last year Ankara station chief
  commented Rick was unsuited for field work and
  should spend the remainder of his career at
  Headquarters
• Returned to the US, Langley Headquarters in 1972

6
SE Division

• Rick was assigned to the rejuvenated Soviet
  Section in 1973
• Goal select Soviet officials for recruitment
• Next 4 years received a review of strong
  performer and then one review of proficient
  performer
• Notes in his file addressed problems with
  delaying key decisions, inattention to detail and
  disregard for regulations
• Christmas Party 1973 1974 incidents of
  serious intoxication
• 1973 had to be escorted home by officers of the
  CIAs office of security
• 1974 Ames became drunk was discovered by a
  CIA security officer having sex with another CIA
  employee (Ames was married)
• Both incidents were noted in his file with an
  eyes only note limiting access to the
  information
• No attempt to speak to his supervisors about the
  incidents attributed to festive exuberance

7
The Seeds of Destruction

• 1973 Ames temporarily assigned to NY
• Became the CIA handler of Sergey Fedorenko, an
  aerospace engineer who worked for the Soviet
  State Committee on Science and Technology
• Ames Fedorenko had a great relationship
• Result received a promotion, moved to NYC
• New job description run sources at the UN and
  recruit similar sources from the large Soviet
  mission there
• Minor setback(1976)
• Security incident - left classified documents on
  a NY subway that identified Fedorenko as a CIA
  operative.
• FBI was alerted
• Documents found with a Polish émigré living in
  Queens
• Received only a verbal reprimand from the Agency
• Ricks mindset in 1976
• Rick fostered an arrogance in NY he came to
  believe he knew more than his peers in the agency
• Recognized talking to the Russians and not the
  Agency that gave him real satisfaction

8
CIA Mission - Mexico

• Prominent assignment - recruit Russian spies -
  1981
• Mexico KGB center for Soviet operations
  throughout Latin America
• Within the first six months, three torrid and
  obvious affairs
• CIA requirement to report affairs with
  foreigners
• Ames his colleagues did not report the affair
• Gained a reputation for taking long lunches and
  returning to the office drunk, or simply not
  returning
• Poor evaluations from his superiors
• Two cases of extreme intoxication
• Diplomatic reception at the American embassy
  loud argument with a Cuban intelligence officer
• Traffic accident in Mexico City Rick could not
  answer the polices questions did not recognize
  the US embassy officer sent to help him
• Neither incident was entered into his file
• Changes in Ricks personal life
• Rick Met Maria del Rosario Casa Dupuy (Rosario)
  and began an affair with her (his second wife)
• Rosario Native Colombian, aristocratic family
  but no wealth

9
The Beginning of a Spy

• Rick promoted to chief of counter intelligence
  for Soviet operations(1984)
• Job description responsible for analyzing
  selected CIA operations involving Soviet assets,
  reviewing them to ensure they were genuine
  avoid penetration of Soviets in the CIA
• Rick targeted possible sources from the Soviet
  embassy
• KGB targeted Rick Ames as a possible spy
• Boss liked him, colleagues found him
  unsophisticated lazy
• Ricks personal life
• Getting divorced, under financial pressure
• Scam - get money from the KGB - 50,000 cash(May
  15, 1985)
• How the operation began
• The CIA KGB knew that Rick would often meet
  with Soviet contacts
• Walked into the Russian embassy and handed over
  two secrets
• Soviets paid Ricks price, it was easy
• Soviets knew he would be back for more money
• On June 12, 1985 Rick gathered up classified
  documents and handed them over to his contact
  (Sergey Chuvakhin) the next day
• As a result, CIA Soviet operatives began
  disappearing

10
Rick Ames - traitor

• Spending
• Annual salary was around 60,000
• Received more that 2 million dollars from the
  Russians (KGB)
• Paid 500,000 for his house cash
• Excessive spending Jaguar, jewelry, expensive
  clothing, trips, etc.
• Started rumors that his wealth came from his
  wifes in-laws
• Performance Review
• Known under-performer
• Colleagues perceived Rick to be underachiever and
  lazy
• Kept making lateral moves, but in high security
  clearance jobs always involving the SE Division
• Alcoholic
• Heavy drinking at many business luncheons
• Known to have a drinking problem
• Knowing the System
• Understood the FBI mode of surveillance over the
  Russian embassy
• Stopped reporting his meetings with his Russian
  contact
• Took advantage of the strained relations between
  the CIA and the FBI

11
CIA Organo-sclerosis

• 13 CIA operatives disappeared or killed -
  destroyed the American network of intelligence
  information of the Russian infrastructure and
  strategy (20 years to build)
• SE Division, not self reflective
• Refused to believe there was a mole from within
• Rick was secure in his ability to manipulate the
  situation
• Poor performer thriving as a spy (over 2 million
  dollars from KGB)
• CIA organization did not deeply investigate the
  disappearance of its operatives
• Ricks security breaches were not noted in files
• Alcoholism and incompetence were normalized
• Unsuitable candidates were promoted to
  inappropriate positions